


Only Say My Name

by Siren_Of_Old



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Getting Together, M/M, Sexual Tension, but i'm gonna ignore it and live anyways, music stereotypes, pidge and hunk have beautiful brains, season 8 ruined some of my life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-15
Updated: 2018-12-15
Packaged: 2019-09-18 15:51:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16997982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Siren_Of_Old/pseuds/Siren_Of_Old
Summary: Pidge, per request of Lance, in the beginning, makes a device that will play any music that you’ve heard before if you think of it. Cue heavy bass leaking from under their headphones whenever it’s their turn with it; loud Spanish music flooding the halls as Lance sings at the top of his lungs; soft love songs and songs about home and comfort seeping from Hunk’s room when he was cooking; rain sounds and old, somewhat familiar songs being the only thing that comes out whenever Shiro tried to sleep; and-And fucking the classic emo songs whenever Keith has it. Lance’s words, not Keith’s.





	Only Say My Name

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back!
> 
> Season 8 hit hard, but I still appreciate being able to stick through to the end of the series, to be honest. 
> 
> Take this. It's been in my damned folder for ages, and I just finished to make myself feel better.

“Do you know how much I miss Earth music?”

Pidge hummed on the floor, fiddling with their computer, trying to add new parts to it. “I’m gonna guess enough to bring it up?”

Lance groaned, flicking their shoulder from his spot on the couch. “I miss it so much. It’s too quiet out here in space.”

“Hard to believe when you won’t shut up,” Keith muttered from where he was seated, sharpening a knife; its siblings spread out in front of his crossed legs. Lance shot up into a sitting position, ready to mouth off, before he realized just exactly what Keith was holding. He flopped back down, defeated and groaned again.

“I just want to listen to Beyoncé again, or even the shit dubstep my brother used to listen to.” He lamented, throwing his forearm over his face dramatically. Hunk laughed as he returned from his room, dropping his tools next to Pidge, his knees cracking as he joined them on the floor.

“You hate dubstep, Lance,” Hunk supplied, handing a screwdriver to Pidge when they held their hand out. Lance groaned again, making Keith glare slightly.

“I know. I just miss the sound of- ” He paused, swallowing hard against the sudden lump that rose in his throat. “I just miss the sound of home, ya know?”

A somber silence fell over the four paladins, as it always did when they slowed down enough to realize just how far away from Earth they were.

Keith spoke up first. “Can’t you just sing though?”

The sadness melted away as Hunk burst out into raucous laughter. “You’ve obviously never heard Lance try to since a Beyoncé song!”

“Hunk! I thought you loved my voice!”

“Buddy, I love you, but you’re not Beyoncé.”

Pidge spoke up, fingers tapping against their neck as they leaned back in a stretch. “I could try to make something for us. Like a radio or something.”

“But we have no radio frequencies, Pidge.” Hunk murmured, watching as the younger paladin dug around in the mess surrounding them until they pulled out a crumpled, messy piece of paper. They grabbed their pencil and scribbled some stuff down before zoning back onto Hunk with a meaningful look. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll help you if you can figure this out.”

Lance looked over at Keith as the two tech wizards began conversing, watching the paler boy meticulously sharpen his knife, then blow on it; holding it and testing the edge of it with the pad of his thumb. Dark eyes glanced up, and then back down at the knife before returning to Lance’s gaze, eyes narrowing.

“What are you looking at?” Keith muttered, setting down the knife in his hand to pick up another one. Lance shrugged one shoulder, tossing a leg over the back of the couch.

“I bet you listen to a lot of emo music, don’t you Keith-y boy?”

A knife embedded itself in the couch, tossed through the opening from Lance’s spread legs. The Cuban boy yelped, jerking in surprise and falling onto the floor with a loud thud. Pidge and Hunk stared as he sat upright on the floor, glaring at Keith.

“You’re a dickhead, Keith.”

“I know.”

 

* * *

 

 

Lance eventually forgot about that day, what with all the training and attacks and rescuing they had to do. Which was why he was so confused when Pidge dropped a weird device into his lap as he lounged on the couch a few weeks later.

“The fuck is this?” Lance asked, picking it up to look it over. It wasn’t very big and seemed to be about as big as a normal cell phone. It was white, with weird green accents around it. He looked up at Pidge, who crossed their arms across their chest, smirking smugly.

“That,” they said, pushing their glasses up the bridge of their nose. “Is our new radio.”

“ _What_?” Lance perked up, looking it over. “How the hell did you accomplish that?”

Pidge rounded the couch, plopping down next to him. They pulled out a headband thing, similar to the one that they use for their group training. “Well, you see, Hunk and I figured out how to replicate the mechanics of the mind meld headband, and we just made it so this headset will respond to any song that comes up in your mind and play it onto that speaker.”

Lance stared at his friend in awe. “That’s fucking _amazing_ , Pidge, holy _shit_.”

They smirked, “I know.”

Lance looped them into a hug, squeezing them until they smacked at his shoulders. Letting them go, he sat back, grinning giddily. “Could I use it first?”

“Sure.” Pidge shrugged. “I mean, you _were_ the one to kinda give me the idea. Go ahead.”

“Aw yeaaaaaah!” Lance hooted, taking the offered headset from Pidge and placing it on his head. They both leaned over the speaker in Lance’s hands as the objects glowed green. It took a second, but then loud Spanish music started pouring out the speaker.

“ _Zúmbale mambo pa' que mis gatas prendan los motores-_ ” *

“Fuck yeah, Pidgey!” Lance threw his arm around their neck as the music blared on. “You and Hunk are fricking amazing!!”

Pidge grinned, “We know.”

 

* * *

 

 

And so began a kind of shift for everyone to have a chance with the radio. Each paladin would get the chance to use the radio whenever they wanted, but they had a certain number of hours so that they weren’t monopolizing it. Even Coran and Allura used it occasionally, the foreign music leading to either somber moments around the Alteans or high beat happiness as Coran tried to teach them all how to do a certain Altean dance move.

Lance could always tell who had the radio, and it’d become a pattern to them all. Shiro usually got free reign of the radio during the night, playing soft sounds of rain and old, somewhat familiar songs. No one really cared that he had the most hours with it. As long as it helped him sleep and look less of a tired zombie-dad in the morning, no one was really complaining about it.

Hunk usually used his while he was messing around in the kitchen; gentle songs of love and home and comfort prompting Lance to slow dance with his best friend, whirling Pidge into the dance and smooshing them between the two of them whenever they trudged into the kitchen.

Pidge really only used it whenever they were deep into a project. They listened to heavy, thudding things, and Lance usually caught them curled up over their laptop, fingers tapping to the incessant beat that he could hear, even down the hall.

Lance used the radio whenever he got homesick; which was quite often to be honest. It was amazing to hear his favorite songs playing back to him, even if his siblings weren’t screeching the lyrics alongside him. He’s pretty sure that Hunk knew that, because his best friend often found him while he was listening and joined him in dancing or whatever he’d been doing.

Lance had yet to find out what kind of music Keith listened to, or when he listened for that matter. He knew that he did listen to music; had seen Pidge handing the radio off to him a multiple of times since their schedule had been figured out weeks ago.

Being the curious guy that he’d always been, he decided to follow Keith after Pidge traded off the radio, trailing down the same hallway as him.

“So, whatcha up to, mullet man?”

Keith’s grey-purple eyes skated over to Lance before he rolled them away. “I’m going to train.”

“Oooh,” Lance nodded, glancing at the radio in his hands. “I get it now.”

“Get what?”

He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Well, I’ve never seen you listen to music, but I guess you just listen to it while you’re training, don’t you?”

Keith nodded, turning into the training room when they reach it. He tossed his jacket aside, before setting the speaker down on the floor. He looked over his shoulder at Lance, placing the headset over his head. “Wanna train with me?”

Lance shrugged, “Sure, I might as well see what kind of music you listen to.”

Keith just shrugged, before stretching his arms around the other, pulling the muscles in his shoulders. “I was planning on sparring with the bot, but you work just as well.”

Lance shucked his jacket off towards the door, rolling up the sleeves of his shirt. “Oh, thanks, Keith-y boy.”

“No problem,” Keith smirked before a guitar started playing from the radio, a woman’s voice soon being joined by drums.

_Fear is only in our minds_

_Taking over all the time_

_Fear is only in our mind_

_But it’s taking over all the time_

Lance was momentarily distracted by the music and just barely ducked the punch that was thrown his way, blocking it with his forearm. Keith smirked, before closing in, doing his best to land a hit somewhere. Lance kept dodging, but the swell of a chorus distracted him once more, and Keith swept his feet out from underneath him.

_You poor sweet, innocent thing_

_Dry your eyes_

_And testify_

_You know you live to break me_

_Don’t deny_

_Sweet sacrifice_

“Keep up, Lance,” Keith taunted over the loud music, an obvious energy making him smile like that. Lance glared before pulling himself up and squaring up once more.

_One day_

_I’m gonna forget your name_

_And one sweet day_

_You’re gonna drown in my last pain_

They made it further, sweating and swearing as they caught the other off guard. Eventually though, Lance recognized the voice coming out of the speakers and couldn’t help but laugh.

“Is this My Chemical Romance?”

The heel of Keith’s palm smacked into Lance’s chest, sending him to the floor again with a small shout. He laid there for a second before laughing again, and looking up at Keith, panting above him. He extended his hand to Lance, staring down expectantly.

“You were an MCR kid, huh?” Lance teased, gripping his hand so that he could help him up. Keith scowled at him, crossed his arms.

“They were a good band.”

“Sure,” Lance said, bringing the edge of his shirt up to wipe the sweat at his brow. “You’re just the typical emo boy, aren’t you?”

“I guess,” Keith shrugged. He gingerly took off the headband before stooping to grab the radio and his jacket. With a tiny nod, he headed towards the doors of the training room. “Thanks for sparring with me. Try to keep up next time, though.”

“I’ll kick your ass next time, Mullet!” Lance yelled as he walked down the hall towards the showers presumably. He heard Keith’s laughter float back to him, and he crossed his arms over his chest. His stomach felt like it was fluttering for a second, before he shook his head and left. “Stupid Keith.”

 

* * *

 

 

Lance noticed over the next few days that almost every time he met Keith’s eyes, or anytime that they brushed against each other outside of missions or training, his stomach got that fluttery feeling once more.

“I dunno, dude,” Hunk said one day in the kitchen, swaying to a soft song about love by someone named Lana something. Lance didn’t know, he was too preoccupied with trying to figure out the feeling as he sat on the counter. “Like, how do you feel when the feeling comes up?”

Lance shrugged, wrapping his arms around his middle. “Like, really warm, and just lighter and, ugh, fluffy or something.”

Hunk stopped stirring his goo-based experiment and turned towards Lance, his eyes wide. “Lance, do you-”

Pidge chose that moment to bust in, their laptop in their arms as they shouted about a new algorithm that they’d created, and did Hunk wanna see it, and Lance for the love of God, get your _ass_ of the counter. Lance hopped down, brushing the seat of his pants off before waving to Hunk on his way out.

Hunk watched him go, shocked by his new realization.

 

* * *

 

 

Hunk also got to watch when Lance finally realized it as well, about a week later.

The two boys had been in the kitchen, doing the dishes together. It was a peaceful time, with Lance talking about how gorgeous the last planet he and Pidge had been sent to had been.

It was then that they heard a very loud scream come from the common area.

Lance’s eyes darted in that general area, before he rinsed his hands of water and grabbed a towel, sharing a look with Hunk. The bigger teen grabbed his nearby bayard and the two of them quickly made their way to the common area.

As they neared, Lance heard what sounded like Keith and Shiro singing something, with an undertone of Pidge’s hysterical laughter. He glanced back at Hunk before letting the doors slide open to reveal the room.

Shiro and Keith were on the couch – _standing_ on the couch, dear God, don’t let Allura catch them – holding different objects in their hands as they sang, “Maybe the sun’s light will be dim, and it won’t matter anyhow.”

“Oh my god,” Hunk gasped in an incredulous voice, staring as the two brothers laughed. Lance felt his mouth gaping open and shook his head in disbelief. Here were the two most serious people he’d ever met, and they were dancing on the couch to a song that apparently Shiro knew, if the headband on his head meant anything.

“Guys, what the _fuck_?” Lance asked, throwing his hands in their general direction. Keith caught his eyes, before pointing at him, shouting the next lyrics aside the female voice.

“Just call me angel of the morning, angel! Just touch my cheek before you leave me, baby!”

Hunk felt like he could see Lance implode as his face turned a deep red, staring as the two brothers finished out the song loudly, screeching it to the ceiling. He could see Pidge on the other side of the couch, choking on their laughter as they held their phone to record the scene in front of them.

The song finally ended and the room went silent until Hunk whispered, “What the fuck did I just witness?”

Keith laughed, throwing his head back as he plopped himself down onto the couch. “Shiro was listening to a song that he and Adam used to sing, so I decided to join in.”

Lance glanced over at Shiro, who’s face held an expression that could only be described as bittersweet happiness. “It’s an old song. It’s about leaving after a one-night stand, if I remember correctly.”

“And you and your fiancé used to sing this?” Lance asked, laughing a little. Shiro chuckled, getting off the couch to set down – oh, it was the remote – on the couch and sit down.

“Adam used to joke that I was an angel just walking around,” Shiro said, leaning his head back and staring up at the ceiling. “And that his one-night stand was the time we had before my disease claimed me.”

Silence reigned once more, until Keith spoke up once more. “One time I came into their apartment after classes to see Shiro and they were in the kitchen just yelling it as Adam cooked dinner. They were like my gross dads.”

Lance felt his stomach flutter as Keith caught his eyes once more, smiling. He looked so soft right there, eyes bright as he remembered an easier time for all of them. Shiro groaned.

“I’m too young to be your dad, just let me keep the older brother title.”

“Alright,” Hunk said, shrugging his shoulders. “As long as you guys aren’t killing each other like we originally thought, Lance and I are going to go back to the dishes.”

The two boys made their way back to the kitchen, going back to their task. It was silent and comfortable until Lance gasped, dropped a plate back into the sink and whipped his head around to face Hunk.

“Hunk, I have a crush on Keith!”

 

* * *

 

 

Lance still couldn’t believe it himself to be honest. A crush on Keith? The _audacity_ of his heart. Why did he have to go and fall in what might be love with his hot-headed rival?

This wasn’t like his crush on Allura from the beginning of their journey. That had been flirty and loud, but it had fizzled out quickly when she showed that she wasn’t interested. Lance didn’t want to force his affection on anyone and he definitely didn’t want to pine hopelessly, so he was kind of relieved when his feelings for Allura faded into what could be described as a brotherly love.

But, fuck his feelings, right? His heart just went right on to jump into a whole bucket full of emotions for one certain mullet head.

He groaned as he walked down the hall, stopping in his tracks to rub at his eyes with the heels of his palms. What was he going to do? It’d already been nearly a month since he recognized his feelings for Keith, and they only seemed to be getting stronger every time he saw the other teen.

Shaking his head, he crossed his arms across his chest and started down the hall again, pausing when he heard the loud music coming from the training room.

It wouldn’t hurt to peek in on him, right? He could just say he wanted to know what he’d been listening to if he got caught staring.

He let the door open and leaned into the training room. Immediately the music got louder, and Lance nearly fell over when he saw Keith.

The paler boy was standing in the middle of the training room, stripping his shirt off, his chest and stomach flexing with every breath. Lance felt faint as he tossed his shirt off to the side, before picking his bayard and restarting the simulation.

_Anything you say can and will be held against you_

_So only say my name_

_It will be held against you_

_Anything you say can and will be held against you_

_So only say my name_

Lance shook his head, backing out quickly.

Jesus Christ, this crush was going to kill him.

 

* * *

 

 

Lance had been avoiding Keith for maybe five days before he finally got cornered.

It was late, way past what was considered the normal bedtime for the paladins. Lance just couldn’t sleep. Too many thoughts filled his mind, ranging from home to Keith to the weight of the war to the weight of possible death and right back around again. So, to soothe his mind, he went to the training room.

He couldn’t grab the radio from Shiro, especially not this late at night, so he just settled for humming softly to himself as he booted up the system to spar with a bot.

He was about halfway through his first round when the doors to the training room opened once more, and Keith walked in.

The two froze for a second, before Lance almost got hit and had to call out for the simulation to stop. He shuffled awkwardly, before starting towards the door. “I’ll leave you to train then, Mullet.”

A gentle hand on his arm stopped him in his tracks though and he looked back to Keith. The other boy stared at him with concern, hand falling to his side.

“What’s wrong, Lance?”

“What do you mean?” Lance shrugged, stuffing his hands in his jacket pockets. Maybe if he shucked it off and tossed it over Keith’s face, he could make a break for it. “I just couldn’t sleep, but I’m good now. I think I’m gonna grab a snack and head back to bed.”

“No,” Keith shook his head, taking a step forward. Lance shuffled back, eyes nervous on Keith’s. “You’ve been avoiding me. Are… Lance, are we okay?”

Fuck.

Of course, he’d notice. How could he not? Lance nodded his head, taking another step back towards the door. Keith moved to follow, his eyes intense. “Yeah, we’re good buddy. I’ve just been busy, y’know?”

“Lance, I literally took one step into the kitchen after dinner, and you ditched dishes duty to ‘go deep condition your hair’.” Keith folded his arms over his chest. “You don’t even have any deep conditioner out here.”

“How do you know?” Lance retorted, crossing his arms as well, mimicking his posture. “I definitely could.”

Keith sighed, letting one hand come up to press his fingers to the bridge of his nose. “Lance, just tell me what I did wrong, so we can fix it together.”

Lance stood there for a long while, just looking at the other boy. What was the worst that would happen if he told him? He’d reject him, maybe, but maybe that could help him get over Keith. He sighed, trying to relax.

“You… you didn’t do anything, Keith.” Lance said, looking off to the side. “I figured out that I have – well, I figured out that I have a crush on you.”

Silence.

The floor could open up and swallow him whenever it wanted to, he decided. He’d rather be down in the bowels of the room than stand here and listen to this horrible silence. He fidgeted awkwardly, shifting his hands back into his pockets before looking up to meet Keith’s eyes.

He was smiling.

It wasn’t a large smile, just a small, soft one. And it was aimed towards Lance, of all people. God, was that you?

“I like you like that too, you doofus.” Keith said in a quiet voice, his body relaxing. “I thought Pidge had let my secret out and that you were avoiding me because of that.”

“Are you serious?” Lance asked, edging closer. “You’re not joking right now?”

Keith shook his head, bringing a hand up to Lance’s cheek, his eyes shining with affection. “I’d never do that to you, Lance.”

The Cuban boy laughed, tears nearly coming to the surface as he pulled Keith into a hug. The other boy laughed as well, wrapping his arms tightly around Lance.

“To think,” Keith chuckled against Lance’s neck, his breath warm. “That dumb radio helped me realize just how cute you are.”

Lance reared back, eyebrows pinched. “What do you mean?”

“It was cute to see a different side of you,” he said in a soft voice, running a hand through the curls at the base of Lance’s neck. “To see you with your inhibitions lowered and your music on. You’re adorable.”

“Ugh, shut up and kiss me, Keith.”

And he did.

**Author's Note:**

> Comment and Kudos as you please!


End file.
